US DoJ set to block Korean Air/Asiana merger - report

Local consortium eyes Korea's Air Busan

New Zealand's Texel Air NZ adds first B737-800(BCF)

Texel Air NZ (Auckland International) has taken delivery of a B737-800(BCF) from parent entity, Texel Air (XLR, Bahrain International). A9C-GWC (msn 29985) ferried into Hamilton from Bahrain last week via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Darwin. When it begins revenue service, the aircraft will primarily fly between Auckland International and Christchurch, flying freight for Parceline Express.

The follows Texel Air NZ using B737-300(F) A9C-APC (27459) to service the Parceline Express contract, with the parent airline dispatching the aircraft to New Zealand to serve as a stop gap plane ahead of A9C-GWC arriving on a permanent basis. A9C-APC is now expected to return to Bahrain. A Texel Air spokesperson has previously told ch-aviation that the B737-800(BCF) is expected to start flying on May 29. A further two of the jets are due to be added by year-end.

A9C-GWC spent most of its working life at Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon), which took delivery of the plane from Boeing in 2001, and kept it in...

EC voices concerns about Korean Air - Asiana merger

Less than three months before a decision date deadline, the European Commission continues to hold concerns that the merger between Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) and Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon) may have a significant competitive impact.

In a statement, the European Commission said that it has sent Korean Air a statement of their objections to the proposed merger. This follows the opening of an in-depth investigation in February. The European Commission is the EU's executive arm. Specifically, the commission has concerns on two fronts, including that the provision of passenger transport services may be reduced on four routes between South Korea and France, Germany, Italy, and Spain and that the provision of cargo transport services may be reduced between all of Europe and South Korea.

"Korean Air and Asiana compete head-to-head in carrying passengers and cargo between the EEA (European Economic Area) and South Korea. Together, they would be by far the largest carriers of passengers and cargo on these routes and the merger may remove an important alternative for customers," reads the...

Korea's Jeju Air confronts B737 MAX delivery delays

A resurgent Jeju Air (7C, Jeju) may have its wings clipped by production delays at Boeing. The low-cost carrier is now chasing Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon) to become the country's second largest carrier and plans to shortly begin introducing forty B737 MAX aircraft that it ordered in 2018. However, the timeline to do so will depend on Boeing's ability to deliver.

Last week, Jeju Air announced a first quarter operating profit of KRW70.7 billion won (USD52.8 million) against revenues of KRW422.3 billion (USD315.4 million). It is now on track to become the country's second largest carrier, relegating Asiana Airlines to third place. But the introduction of the B737-8s may be slower than planned. When the order was first announced, deliveries were set to start in 2022. Currently, Jeju Air anticipates receiving one of the type, its first, in the second half of 2023, with deliveries scheduled until 2028. Initially, Jeju Air intends to deploy the MAX onto sectors into Japan, where it has a commanding market share.

Despite the delivery...